Tax Tips

Each year around tax time, I go through all of our personal receipts, bank statements, household utilities, and medical bills/receipts in an attempt to stay organized. Here are some of the time-saving tips I use to keep all of our personal, household, and tax info organized. Plus tips for how long and which tax papers to keep.

Even if you haven’t been planning on remodeling or upgrading your home, now is definitely the time to take a serious look at the possibilities. These tax incentives will go a long way in stretching your budget and will not only pay you back now through tax credits and refunds, but they will continue to pay you back as you save energy in the future!

In a tough economy, more and more people are falling prey to Ponzi schemes in hopes of making easy money. Most don’t understand that the “easy money” they are going after is indeed a faulty scheme and they are the innocent victim. They fail to see the warning signs of a Ponzi scheme.

Charitable contributions may be the last thing you have on your mind during tough times. But, the truth is, giving away money, time, and items is always a good idea. Here are the top 3 reasons to consider making charitable donations this year.

John McCain says Barack Obama will raise taxes for everyone. Barack Obama says John McCain will give the rich tax cuts while cutting needed services. McCain accuses Obama of giving government hand-outs. Obama accuses McCain of not being in touch. Aside from the accusations, where do the presidential nominees stand on the economy? Following is a summary of Barack Obama’s plans for the future, as well as his past actions to improve the economy.

Now that Tax Season is over and you have (hopefully) completed your tax returns and put them behind you, here are some things you can do to make the next tax season even easier. Things to do WAY before April 15th…

Marketers are seeing dollar signs, and they are pulling no punches with ideas on how you can spend your government stimulus check. Here’s what to watch for, so you don’t get taken by someone telling you how to spend your tax rebate check.

With Americans rallying to save more and spend less, charities and religious organizations are actually suffering. Charities need goods and money in order to help people in the community. But what can we do? Especially when we are just treading water ourselves. Here are some ideas…

Tax rebate checks — also known as Economic Stimulus Payments — will be sent out in May of 2008 to 130 million families. Their purpose is to stimulate the economy. I can’t help but think they’ll simply be used to pay of debts. How does that stimulate the economy?

Don’t file a tax extension this year… it may cause you to lose out on your piece of the pie from the President’s Economic Stimulus Package. That’s right, you might not get your refund if you don’t file your taxes on time.

After debating for months on how to fix the alternative minimum tax, Congress recently issued a tax reprieve which postpones the use of the alternative minimum tax for one year. As this tax is becoming more and more common among middle-income taxpayers, its important to understand the basics as it will likely be back in future years.

Most business will make equipment purchases each year. If your business appropriately plans for the purchases, you may be able deduct the full price of the equipment. This article discusses the deduction for equipment purchases and how to plan your purchases in order to decrease your tax bill.

This summer Congress increased the minimum wage. In order to offset the increase in expenses, Congress also allocated money for tax breaks for these businesses. This article lists 3 of the ways to take advantage of these tax breaks.

Do I have to pay quarterly tax payments? Many people don’t realize they need to pay quarterly payments until it is too late and you are stuck with a tax penalty.This article discusses who owes quarterly tax payments, how much and when must you pay.

Getting married is a wonderful event. But after the celebrations are over, there are many decisions you will face as a married couple. This article lists a few of the tax decisions newlyweds will face in the beginning.

You never know when or if you will be audited. But the best way to be prepared is to know what to expect and to maintain your tax documentation. This article discusses the 3 types of audits and what to expect in each.

United States Savings bonds are a great way to invest money conservatively and can provide the opportunity to grow interest tax free. These bonds make a great gift for young children to hold on to and potentially use for college expenses.

Does the IRS allow teeth whitening, breast reconstruction, and vision correction surgery as medical expense deductions? These are typically considered cosmetic or elective surgeries, but two of them are allowed as a medical expense.

There are certain types of income that should not be included on your tax return. In this article we discuss a few of the types of income that are excluded from your tax return and therefore result in tax savings.